Anisuzzaman (born 1951) is a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

philosopher and university administrator. He is the first vice-chancellor of

Global University Bangladesh Global University Bangladesh (GUB) () is a private university located at Barisal, a city in south-central Bangladesh. The University Grants Commission of Bangladesh approved it in 2013 and it was established in 2015 under the Private University Ac ...

, and, has been serving since 2019. Most of his career was spent at

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

as a professor of philosophy.

Biography

Anisuzzaman was born on March 1, 1951, in

Jessore Jessore (, ), officially Jashore, is a city of Jessore District in Khulna Division. It lies in southwestern Bangladesh. It is home to the first flight training school of the Bangladeshi Air Force, established in 1971. Jessore city consists of 9 wa ...

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

Dominion of Pakistan The Dominion of Pakistan, officially Pakistan, was an independent federal dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations, which existed from 14 August 1947 to Pakistan Day, 23 March 1956. It was created by the passing of the Indian Independence ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

) to Shahida Begam and Abul Hossain Molla. He completed his B.A.(Hons.) and M.A. degrees in philosophy from

in 1972 and 1973, respectively. In October 1977, he joined the University of Chittagong as a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy. In 1980 he joined the Department of Philosophy of the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

as a lecturer. Next year, in 1981, he completed an

MPhil A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at least ...

degree from the Dhaka University and in 1982, he became an assistant professor there. Anisuzzaman received a

Commonwealth Scholarship The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries. History The plan was originally proposed ...

to study Philosophical and Theological Anthropology at the

University of Wales The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...

in the UK. There he earned a PhD in 1988 for his dissertation, ''The Concept of Man: Dualism and the Western Tradition''. That year, he became an

Associate Professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

at the University of Dhaka, and in 1993 he became a

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

. He carried out

Postdoctoral Research A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...

Comparative Theology Comparative theology is a relatively new discipline within theology, which holds together "comparative" and "theology" in creative tension. It represents a particular type of theological practice committed to deep interreligious learning ("comparat ...

focusing on

Adventism Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Will ...

Andrews University Andrews University (Andrews) is a private Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists and is the flag ...

in the US in 1994. He acted as

Provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

of Sir A.F. Rahman Hall of Dhaka University from 1996 to 1997. He also served as

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the Department of Philosophy for two months in 1997. In the same year, he left on a Commonwealth Fellowship for

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

. There he conducted further research on

Comparative Religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including human migration, migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study ...

. In 1998, he returned to Dhaka University, where he continued to chair the philosophy department until 2000. and directed two centers within the department: the Dev Centre for Philosophical Studies from 2001 to 2005 and the Centre for Moral Development from 2010 to 2013. Anisuzzaman was appointed the first

Vice Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth countr ...

of Bangladesh Islami University, a private university in Dhaka, by Professor Dr.

Iajuddin Ahmed Iajuddin Ahmed (1 February 193110 December 2012) was the President of Bangladesh, serving from 6 September 2002 until 12 February 2009. With a doctorate in soil science, Ahmed became a full professor at the University of Dhaka and chairman of ...

, the Honorable

President of Bangladesh President of Bangladesh (POB), officially the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is the head of state of Bangladesh and commander-in-chief of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The role of the president has changed three times since ...

and Chancellor of the university in 2006. He appointed him as VC for the next four years. He was appointed the first

of the

, a private university in Barisal, by

Mohammad Abdul Hamid Mohammad Abdul Hamid (born 1 January 1944) is a Bangladeshis, Bangladeshi retired politician, lawyer and statesman who served as the President of Bangladesh from 2013 to 2023, making him the longest serving president in the History of Banglad ...

, the Honorable

and Chancellor of the university in 2019. In 2023, he was reappointed for a second four-year term by Mohammed Shahabuddin, the Honorable

and Chancellor of the university. He resigned on December 7, 2024 due to irrational pressure from a small section of students. However, he withdrew his letter of resignation the next day, December 8, 2024 due to heavy demand from the overwhelming majority of the students and has been working since then.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anisuzzaman 1951 births People from Jessore District People from Gopalganj District, Bangladesh 20th-century Bangladeshi philosophers 21st-century philosophers Bangladeshi educators Bengali philosophers Academic staff of the University of Chittagong Academic staff of the University of Dhaka University of Dhaka alumni Alumni of the University of Wales Living people